Kids in Newcastle and Gateshead are getting a nudge to unleash their creativity this holiday season through a poetry contest sparked by the spirit of the Toon.
Launched by Newcastle-based rail operator Lumo, the winning festive poem will be read out to passengers travelling on its services on Friday 22nd December. The winner will also receive free travel for themselves and their family to visit any location across its route between Edinburgh and London.
Children from across Newcastle, Gateshead and surrounding areas are being encouraged to submit their Christmas poems by Wednesday 13th December to be in with a chance of winning. Entrants, or their parents or guardians, can submit their poetry via email. The winning poem will be announced and displayed on Lumo’s social media channels on Monday 18th December.
In celebration of its home city, Lumo is looking for a poem that captures what is magical about ‘Christmas in the Toon’. From festive family moments to Christmas carolling and twinkling lights across the city, the poems should tell the Toon’s tales of Christmas!
“This is an exciting opportunity for local children to celebrate their creativity and all that’s great about our home city. We can’t wait to read the entries and know that the winning poem will bring a smile to those travelling to and from Newcastle and beyond on our trains in the lead up to Christmas. This competition is our way of shining a spotlight on the festivities in our hometown at this important time of year and sharing it with the many people traveling on our trains.”
Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director at Lumo
Lumo encourages applicants to send their submissions to Lumopoems@grayling.com in written form by Wednesday 13th December.
It asks for submissions to be kept to 100 words maximum, any poetry style is welcome.
The lucky winner will be asked to share a voice recording of their poem by 20th December to be played on its services in December.
Full terms and conditions can be found below.
Entry details:
- Submissions will be accepted via email until 13th December 2023.
- Entrants should share their full name, age and location when submitting their entry.
- Entrants should submit a photograph of themselves along with their entry.
- Poems and photos should be sent to Lumo via lumopoems@grayling.com
- The competition is open to children and schools across the Newcastle region and surrounding areas.
Prize details:
- The winner will be contacted via email.
- The winner will receive complimentary round-trip travel for themselves and up to four people to visit any location across its route between Edinburgh and London.
- The prize must be booked one month in advance from the date of departure.
- The prize is valid for 12 months from 1st January 2024.
- The prize is non-refundable and non-transferable.
- No cash alternative will be offered for the prize.
- Prizes can only be delivered to a valid UK address.
- The prize draw decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Terms & Conditions:
By submitting a poem to the Christmas poetry competition, participants agree to the following:
- The winning entrant will be announced and displayed on Lumo’s social media channels on Monday 18th December.
- The winning poem and photo of the writer will be shared with local media.
- Entrants must be from or reside in, Newcastle or the surrounding area.
- Participants grant Lumo the right to use, reproduce, and display submitted poems and photos in any media, including but not limited to the company’s website, social media channels, and promotional materials.
- By entering the competition, you agree that any personal information provided by you with the competition entry may be held and used only by Lumo in accordance with these terms and conditions.
Lumo is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation “GDPR” and Data Protection Act and will not pass on your details to any third party without your prior consent. More details can be found in the LUMO Privacy Policy.
